Sirius heads out into town to find out how much the rent of snowshoes or a dogsled would be for the day. Sirius also asks how many people would fit into a dogsled.
Snowshoes can be purchased for 2 gp per pair, not rentable. A typical sled takes 6 dogs and they are able to pull around 900 pounds, excluding the weight of the sled, twice that if they're not running. So enough for 1 person in the driver position and three people tightly crowded on the sled itself. You can lend such a dogsled for 10 gp per day on the condition that the dogs are returned uninjured - a single trained sled dog demands a price of 50 gp.
Snowshoe's sound like a great idea, Aubreen purchases a pair. Straps hang every which way as he flips them back and forth trying to make heads and tails. Finally strapping them on he takes a couple test steps as they hang and jangle, tangling his step and landing him face first in the snow drift. After a few moments of cursing under his breath, "Gods cursed straps, who invented these things", and 'By the gods cant anything just be easy!" He finally gets them strapped on properly. "Well, cough up a couple coins you cheap bastards and lets get a moving"
Sirius likewise buys a pair of snowshoes and straps them on. "Shame that there aren't any skis here. I remember skiing the few times that we had snow in Waterdeep with my family and that sure was fun. Faster than these snowhoes too I bet." A faint smile creeps onto Sirius' face as he thinks back on the good days.
"You also stated the white beast has been stalking the Lumberjacks, do they congregate in a particular area within the woods? or simply take lumber as and where they find it?"
Missed this before. Nimsy would answer: "They take wood from close to the town, so that the task of bringing back the felled trees isn't too arduous. The moose doesn't enter the village, so they've resorted to felling the trees within village limits."
The Dale becomes dimly lit as the morning arrives proper. The woods surrounding Lonelywood are still fairly dark and promise to be a challenge for your navigation skills. With snowshoes you'll at least be able to avoid needing to stomp through the worst of the covered ground.
Within the woods, snow is softly raining down between the heavily laden branches. Most of the oaks are still alive, despite the desperate conditions. Occasionally a wintery bird swoops off its perch, shaking some fluffy ice loose. It's very quiet.
Traversing the wilderness: Once you're ready, designate one person to lead the tracking efforts. That person can make a survival check to find the tomb. The check is made with advantage on account of Nimsys directions. The others can choose to do one of the following things each: keep watch for dangers with perception, to scavenge for firewood¹ or herbs² with survival (Perrin has advantage on this because of his background), try to hunt for wild game³ with survival, or do some other task that you might come up with. I'm open to using different skill checks if you find a good reason for why.
If you succeed on the tracking check, you'll find the tomb within 2 hours. If not, I will roll for a potential random encounter and after that you can repeat the check. If your search takes longer than 4 hours, it'll get dark. If it takes longer than 8 hours, you'll need to rest.
¹Essential for staying warm during a long rest ²Can be used to craft a potion of healing or potentially other concotions depending on what you're looking for ³Provides additional rations
Having purchased his snowshoes and watching the others struggle putting them on he puts them on with no trouble "I don't know why you guys had trouble with these they seem pretty straight forward to me. I am more of a city person and comfortable places, I am not really used to back country travel and can easily get lost when I don't have people to ask where to go so I will gladly be on the lookout for something but do not think I am equipped to lead the way in the forest." Looking around to the others and adjusting his backpack as he prepares to head out from the relative comfort of this small town.
As the group starts the journey, Sirius loads up his crossbow and starts looking for prey. "Keep your voices low and steps light." (Survival check: 5) Sirius spots a deer in the distance, and takes aim, but his movements startle the animal, causing it to run away before he gets a proper chance to shoot it.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
After purchasing his pair of snowshoes, Perrin deftly slips them on and fastens the straps. He had used these quite a bit in his old life when he used to sneak out of his family's inn to go draw pictures and take notes about the fauna and flora outside of town.
Figuring he probably knew his way around the terrain of the Dale the best, Perrin opts lead the group towards the mysterious tomb embedded in the woods. All bundled up in his thick winter clothes and goggles, it was a bit hard to walk around with the snow shoes, so he had to resort to more of a bird-like hop to get around.
Walking with the group Zenos spots some great looking herbs (survival 9 so they are actually just random leaves and twigs). He is 100% sure that he can turn these into a potion to sell to some rich noble to make a load of gold, whether or not it does the intended effect or not is yet to be seen but hopefully there will be time to bottle it. In the meantime he continues to look for other items of interest near the path.
Aubreen keeps his eyes open, stumbling over the ungainly planks poorly strapped to his feet. Noticing a flush of green growing in the shelter of a tree he points to the herbs, "Hey Zenos, can you do anything with these?" (Herbs: Survival with Guidance : 9 +3 + 4 = 16).
Your treck through the lonelywood forest is exhausting, the muffled silence punctuated by the labored breathing as you make your way through the difficult terrain. Luckily, Perrin doesn't just spot a moose track in the snow, he also discovers more druidic markers pointing in the direction of the tomb. All of them are from the frost druids.
After Sirius spooks a deer, Zenos finds some dubious looking plants, and Aubreen spots some actually useful herbs (note down as custom item Snow Berries (x5)) it doesn't take you more than the estimated time to reach your destination.
The moose tracks and druid markers lead to a large, circular indentation in a snowy hillside. Rising from the middle of this circle is a triangular gnomon of beautifully carved crystal that stands twenty feet tall. A ten-foot-high berm hugging the circle’s eastern edge has evergreens growing around and atop it, sheltering what looks like a sarcophagus buried under snow and enclosed by a half-circle of pale blue crystal pillars. North of the berm is a delicately carved gazebo made of marble, and south of the berm is a row of outward-facing, white marble statues atop granite pillars.
You don't see anything moving here. Wind howls through the trees and above you the sky is as bright as it ever gets in the dale. The whole scene is in bathed in a diffuse dim light.
You're approaching from the south, wich is located at the lower edge of the map.
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
When they finally break free of the tree line, Perrin stops dead in his tracks as he spots the beautiful crystalline structure jutting from the hillside. His jaw drops in awe, and he actually points at the crystal even though everyone else could undoubtedly see it. It takes him a second to realize how dumb he must have looked to the others, and he quickly lowers his hand and shuts his beak. He looks to the others excitedly, and then looks back at the crystal.
Now that he's gotten over his initial shock, he looks around their surroundings, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Well, anything out of the ordinary besides the enormous crystal jutting from the hillside.
"Thank you for the pretty berries, I have no clue what they are but I am sure I can put them to a good use". After reaching the clearing and looking around for the moose and not seeing it whispers to the group "Should we hang back for a bit and look around or should we go in for a closer look?"
Now that he's gotten over his initial shock, he looks around their surroundings, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Well, anything out of the ordinary besides the enormous crystal jutting from the hillside.
You're fairly sure you see several animal tracks, a mooses among them, clustered a rough hole in the wall in the northwest edge of the depression, creating a dark opening that leads under the hill. The statues in front of the berm have slender figures and pointed ears. Their features have been worn away.
As soon as Sirius spots the crystal, he remembers the crystal he found in Sephek's skull. He holds up the crystal comparing it to the giant one trying to sense if there's a connection between them. Quickly realizing flailing around with a possibly evil crystal in a tomb of more evilness maybe isn't the best idea, Sirius takes out his amulet and tries to see if there's any evil presence in the area using his Divine Sense. Praying to The Triad for the Divine Sense, Sirius feels he can reach deeper into the source of the divine power. Sirius immediately reaches in and gets overwhelmed by a feeling like he's seeing a fourth dimension sensing the magical power around him (Sirius casts Detect Magic and uses Divine Sense).
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sirius turns to Zenos to say. "It will be dark soon. I don't think it's wise to linger. Since the frost druids aren't here, let's look around and try to find out as much as we can about this place."
Aubreen notices Sirius pull the crystal out and asks, "Siruis, have you been able to discern what the crystal does, is there any active enchantments upon it?". Slowly working his way along the berm he takes a few minutes to invoke Torm, "Grant me the vision of other sight" casting Detect magic as a ritual. Slowly making his way towards the sarcophagus, Aubreen climbs the berm and attempts to clear the snow from the stone taking a closer look at the semi circle of crystals and the sarcophagus itself (Perception with guidance : 23)
"I am awed by the construction, the Elven architects have an otherworldly beauty to their touch. It is nothing like I imagined on our trek here, yet I feel it has been tainted by ill intent. The moose tracks fill me with unease. I have heard of druids and wildlings able to transform into beasts and other fell creatures, do you think the moose is one of the Frost druids?"
Sirius compares the two crystals, but they are clearly distinct. Sepheks crystal is a translucent blue and shot through with tiny snowflakes. The gnomon is mostly opaque and has a metallic sheen to it.
As Sirius reaches out with his senses, he becomes aware of an otherworldly music. The howling wind becomes the soft tones of flutes playing in harmony. The heavily laden treebranches somehow produce the sound of rustling leaves in a spring breeze. Serene calm reigns around the sarcophagus. This is hallowed ground.
Your detect magic makes you aware of abjuration magic emanating from the seven elven statues. The sarcophagus, on the other hand, gives off a necromantic aura. Sirius, combining this information with his divine sense, is able to deduce that this is not evil necromancy.
Clearing the snow off the sarcophagus lid reveals an engraving of a brazier. You also notice a carving near the top of each pillar positioned here; from north to south, these images depict a twig, a pinecone, a flame, a feather, and a humanoid hand. The pillars seem to be slightly magical as well, giving off faint traces of divination and transmutation magic. The marble gazebo to the north of here seems to mirror that magic.
Looking at the area around the gnomon, you see that the snow around the gnomon has melted away (a minor transmutation effect according to detect magic), revealing a circle of symbols carved into the stone around it. The symbols depict phases of the moon, suggesting that the circular depression is not a sundial, but a moon dial. Aubreen is able to see tiny inscriptions in Elvish around the full moon symbol and the two half moon symbols. He's able to translate these: Full moon inscription: "Gaze upon your own face and have seven questions answered." Half moon inscriptions: “Unlock the tombs of the half moon.”
Zenos, looking at the hole leading into the dark, gets the impression that he saw something moving for just a moment.
Aubreen calls Perrin over to the sarcophagus as he traces the engraving of the brazier with his finger, thoughtfully contemplating the pillars around him. "Perrin, you were able to pull fire from the weave yesterday, Are you able to do that at will? Can you perhaps create flame and place it on this engraving here to see what happens?"
As Perrin's focus turns elsewhere, Aubreen reaches out and plucks a feather from his shoulder, "Sorry my friend but I have an idea, you should be able to grow a new feather, no". Watching as Perrin hopefully ignites the engraving of a brazier.
"There are carvings upon these pillars, and I can think of nothing else but to collect the items and place them on the sarcophagus, anybody have a spare hand?" He asks as he looks to the pine trees for cones and twigs, a feather from Perrin and the flame he can produce. Scratching his head, he places the items into Perrins flame, pulling his hand back quickly out of a sense of trepidation.
As Zeno's comments about the movement within the opening, Aubreen plucks a stone from the ground casting Light upon it and hands it to the Satyr, "would a bit of light help to banish the shadows within?"
Perrin nods eagerly at Aubreen’s suggestion. He hops over to the elaborate sarcophagus and summons some fire in his palm just like he did yesterday. As he brings the fire close to the tomb, he can’t help but be enraptured by the delicate symbols covering it. Maybe it was a puzzle of some sort? It certainly looked that way. Maybe they could-
He lets out a squawk of pain as Aubreen covertly plucks a feather from him. He whirls around and glares at Aubreen, rubbing his shoulder with hers free hand. He waives the fire in his hand menacingly in Aubreen’s direction, but then turns his attention back to the sarcophagus. Hesitantly, he tries to place the fire on the tomb. If it doesn’t work, he tries with each of the pillars. If that doesn’t work, he makes a careful inspection of the sarcophagus, pillars, and the crystal to see if he can ascertain some clues about the cryptic symbols on the sarcophagus
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
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Sirius heads out into town to find out how much the rent of snowshoes or a dogsled would be for the day. Sirius also asks how many people would fit into a dogsled.
Snowshoes can be purchased for 2 gp per pair, not rentable. A typical sled takes 6 dogs and they are able to pull around 900 pounds, excluding the weight of the sled, twice that if they're not running. So enough for 1 person in the driver position and three people tightly crowded on the sled itself. You can lend such a dogsled for 10 gp per day on the condition that the dogs are returned uninjured - a single trained sled dog demands a price of 50 gp.
Snowshoe's sound like a great idea, Aubreen purchases a pair. Straps hang every which way as he flips them back and forth trying to make heads and tails. Finally strapping them on he takes a couple test steps as they hang and jangle, tangling his step and landing him face first in the snow drift. After a few moments of cursing under his breath, "Gods cursed straps, who invented these things", and 'By the gods cant anything just be easy!" He finally gets them strapped on properly. "Well, cough up a couple coins you cheap bastards and lets get a moving"
Sirius likewise buys a pair of snowshoes and straps them on. "Shame that there aren't any skis here. I remember skiing the few times that we had snow in Waterdeep with my family and that sure was fun. Faster than these snowhoes too I bet." A faint smile creeps onto Sirius' face as he thinks back on the good days.
Missed this before. Nimsy would answer: "They take wood from close to the town, so that the task of bringing back the felled trees isn't too arduous. The moose doesn't enter the village, so they've resorted to felling the trees within village limits."
The Dale becomes dimly lit as the morning arrives proper. The woods surrounding Lonelywood are still fairly dark and promise to be a challenge for your navigation skills. With snowshoes you'll at least be able to avoid needing to stomp through the worst of the covered ground.
Within the woods, snow is softly raining down between the heavily laden branches. Most of the oaks are still alive, despite the desperate conditions. Occasionally a wintery bird swoops off its perch, shaking some fluffy ice loose. It's very quiet.
Traversing the wilderness: Once you're ready, designate one person to lead the tracking efforts. That person can make a survival check to find the tomb. The check is made with advantage on account of Nimsys directions. The others can choose to do one of the following things each: keep watch for dangers with perception, to scavenge for firewood¹ or herbs² with survival (Perrin has advantage on this because of his background), try to hunt for wild game³ with survival, or do some other task that you might come up with. I'm open to using different skill checks if you find a good reason for why.
If you succeed on the tracking check, you'll find the tomb within 2 hours. If not, I will roll for a potential random encounter and after that you can repeat the check. If your search takes longer than 4 hours, it'll get dark. If it takes longer than 8 hours, you'll need to rest.
¹Essential for staying warm during a long rest
²Can be used to craft a potion of healing or potentially other concotions depending on what you're looking for
³Provides additional rations
Having purchased his snowshoes and watching the others struggle putting them on he puts them on with no trouble "I don't know why you guys had trouble with these they seem pretty straight forward to me. I am more of a city person and comfortable places, I am not really used to back country travel and can easily get lost when I don't have people to ask where to go so I will gladly be on the lookout for something but do not think I am equipped to lead the way in the forest." Looking around to the others and adjusting his backpack as he prepares to head out from the relative comfort of this small town.
As the group starts the journey, Sirius loads up his crossbow and starts looking for prey. "Keep your voices low and steps light." (Survival check: 5) Sirius spots a deer in the distance, and takes aim, but his movements startle the animal, causing it to run away before he gets a proper chance to shoot it.
After purchasing his pair of snowshoes, Perrin deftly slips them on and fastens the straps. He had used these quite a bit in his old life when he used to sneak out of his family's inn to go draw pictures and take notes about the fauna and flora outside of town.
Figuring he probably knew his way around the terrain of the Dale the best, Perrin opts lead the group towards the mysterious tomb embedded in the woods. All bundled up in his thick winter clothes and goggles, it was a bit hard to walk around with the snow shoes, so he had to resort to more of a bird-like hop to get around.
Survival check to guide the party: 19
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
Walking with the group Zenos spots some great looking herbs (survival 9 so they are actually just random leaves and twigs). He is 100% sure that he can turn these into a potion to sell to some rich noble to make a load of gold, whether or not it does the intended effect or not is yet to be seen but hopefully there will be time to bottle it. In the meantime he continues to look for other items of interest near the path.
Aubreen keeps his eyes open, stumbling over the ungainly planks poorly strapped to his feet. Noticing a flush of green growing in the shelter of a tree he points to the herbs, "Hey Zenos, can you do anything with these?" (Herbs: Survival with Guidance : 9 +3 + 4 = 16).
Your treck through the lonelywood forest is exhausting, the muffled silence punctuated by the labored breathing as you make your way through the difficult terrain. Luckily, Perrin doesn't just spot a moose track in the snow, he also discovers more druidic markers pointing in the direction of the tomb. All of them are from the frost druids.
After Sirius spooks a deer, Zenos finds some dubious looking plants, and Aubreen spots some actually useful herbs (note down as custom item Snow Berries (x5)) it doesn't take you more than the estimated time to reach your destination.
The moose tracks and druid markers lead to a large, circular indentation in a snowy hillside. Rising from the middle of this circle is a triangular gnomon of beautifully carved crystal that stands twenty feet tall. A ten-foot-high berm hugging the circle’s eastern edge has evergreens growing around and atop it, sheltering what looks like a sarcophagus buried under snow and enclosed by a half-circle of pale blue crystal pillars. North of the berm is a delicately carved gazebo made of marble, and south of the berm is a row of outward-facing, white marble statues atop granite pillars.
You don't see anything moving here. Wind howls through the trees and above you the sky is as bright as it ever gets in the dale. The whole scene is in bathed in a diffuse dim light.
You're approaching from the south, wich is located at the lower edge of the map.
When they finally break free of the tree line, Perrin stops dead in his tracks as he spots the beautiful crystalline structure jutting from the hillside. His jaw drops in awe, and he actually points at the crystal even though everyone else could undoubtedly see it. It takes him a second to realize how dumb he must have looked to the others, and he quickly lowers his hand and shuts his beak. He looks to the others excitedly, and then looks back at the crystal.
Now that he's gotten over his initial shock, he looks around their surroundings, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary. Well, anything out of the ordinary besides the enormous crystal jutting from the hillside.
Perception Check 18
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable
"Thank you for the pretty berries, I have no clue what they are but I am sure I can put them to a good use". After reaching the clearing and looking around for the moose and not seeing it whispers to the group "Should we hang back for a bit and look around or should we go in for a closer look?"
You're fairly sure you see several animal tracks, a mooses among them, clustered a rough hole in the wall in the northwest edge of the depression, creating a dark opening that leads under the hill. The statues in front of the berm have slender figures and pointed ears. Their features have been worn away.
As soon as Sirius spots the crystal, he remembers the crystal he found in Sephek's skull. He holds up the crystal comparing it to the giant one trying to sense if there's a connection between them. Quickly realizing flailing around with a possibly evil crystal in a tomb of more evilness maybe isn't the best idea, Sirius takes out his amulet and tries to see if there's any evil presence in the area using his Divine Sense. Praying to The Triad for the Divine Sense, Sirius feels he can reach deeper into the source of the divine power. Sirius immediately reaches in and gets overwhelmed by a feeling like he's seeing a fourth dimension sensing the magical power around him (Sirius casts Detect Magic and uses Divine Sense).
Snapping out of his thoughts, Sirius turns to Zenos to say. "It will be dark soon. I don't think it's wise to linger. Since the frost druids aren't here, let's look around and try to find out as much as we can about this place."
Aubreen notices Sirius pull the crystal out and asks, "Siruis, have you been able to discern what the crystal does, is there any active enchantments upon it?". Slowly working his way along the berm he takes a few minutes to invoke Torm, "Grant me the vision of other sight" casting Detect magic as a ritual. Slowly making his way towards the sarcophagus, Aubreen climbs the berm and attempts to clear the snow from the stone taking a closer look at the semi circle of crystals and the sarcophagus itself (Perception with guidance : 23)
"I am awed by the construction, the Elven architects have an otherworldly beauty to their touch. It is nothing like I imagined on our trek here, yet I feel it has been tainted by ill intent. The moose tracks fill me with unease. I have heard of druids and wildlings able to transform into beasts and other fell creatures, do you think the moose is one of the Frost druids?"
Zenos carefully moves forward to investigate the area keeping an eye on the dark depression that looks like it may lead under the hill.
Sirius compares the two crystals, but they are clearly distinct. Sepheks crystal is a translucent blue and shot through with tiny snowflakes. The gnomon is mostly opaque and has a metallic sheen to it.
As Sirius reaches out with his senses, he becomes aware of an otherworldly music. The howling wind becomes the soft tones of flutes playing in harmony. The heavily laden treebranches somehow produce the sound of rustling leaves in a spring breeze. Serene calm reigns around the sarcophagus. This is hallowed ground.
Your detect magic makes you aware of abjuration magic emanating from the seven elven statues. The sarcophagus, on the other hand, gives off a necromantic aura. Sirius, combining this information with his divine sense, is able to deduce that this is not evil necromancy.
Clearing the snow off the sarcophagus lid reveals an engraving of a brazier. You also notice a carving near the top of each pillar positioned here; from north to south, these images depict a twig, a pinecone, a flame, a feather, and a humanoid hand. The pillars seem to be slightly magical as well, giving off faint traces of divination and transmutation magic. The marble gazebo to the north of here seems to mirror that magic.
Looking at the area around the gnomon, you see that the snow around the gnomon has melted away (a minor transmutation effect according to detect magic), revealing a circle of symbols carved into the stone around it. The symbols depict phases of the moon, suggesting that the circular depression is not a sundial, but a moon dial. Aubreen is able to see tiny inscriptions in Elvish around the full moon symbol and the two half moon symbols. He's able to translate these:
Full moon inscription: "Gaze upon your own face and have seven questions answered."
Half moon inscriptions: “Unlock the tombs of the half moon.”
Zenos, looking at the hole leading into the dark, gets the impression that he saw something moving for just a moment.
Aubreen calls Perrin over to the sarcophagus as he traces the engraving of the brazier with his finger, thoughtfully contemplating the pillars around him. "Perrin, you were able to pull fire from the weave yesterday, Are you able to do that at will? Can you perhaps create flame and place it on this engraving here to see what happens?"
As Perrin's focus turns elsewhere, Aubreen reaches out and plucks a feather from his shoulder, "Sorry my friend but I have an idea, you should be able to grow a new feather, no". Watching as Perrin hopefully ignites the engraving of a brazier.
"There are carvings upon these pillars, and I can think of nothing else but to collect the items and place them on the sarcophagus, anybody have a spare hand?" He asks as he looks to the pine trees for cones and twigs, a feather from Perrin and the flame he can produce. Scratching his head, he places the items into Perrins flame, pulling his hand back quickly out of a sense of trepidation.
As Zeno's comments about the movement within the opening, Aubreen plucks a stone from the ground casting Light upon it and hands it to the Satyr, "would a bit of light help to banish the shadows within?"
Perrin nods eagerly at Aubreen’s suggestion. He hops over to the elaborate sarcophagus and summons some fire in his palm just like he did yesterday. As he brings the fire close to the tomb, he can’t help but be enraptured by the delicate symbols covering it. Maybe it was a puzzle of some sort? It certainly looked that way. Maybe they could-
He lets out a squawk of pain as Aubreen covertly plucks a feather from him. He whirls around and glares at Aubreen, rubbing his shoulder with hers free hand. He waives the fire in his hand menacingly in Aubreen’s direction, but then turns his attention back to the sarcophagus. Hesitantly, he tries to place the fire on the tomb. If it doesn’t work, he tries with each of the pillars. If that doesn’t work, he makes a careful inspection of the sarcophagus, pillars, and the crystal to see if he can ascertain some clues about the cryptic symbols on the sarcophagus
DM- Azalin's Doom
DM- Surviving the Unsurvivable